GOD'S DOWN PAYMENT

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (NIV)
I’ve read this passage many times and I always thought of it as, “this is my lucky day.”  I found a “golden ticket” that will get me into heaven.  But that isn’t what it is saying here. This is nothing about me or what I’ve done to get into heaven.  This is all God.  He makes us stand firm in Christ. He sets His seal of ownership on us and He puts His Spirit into our hearts. In other words, He wanted us so much to be with Him for eternity that He put a piece of Himself in our hearts. This is a down payment that guarantees that we will, one day, live in heaven.
When we get to the place in our lives that we want to buy a house, we put a down payment on it to show the sellers and the bank that we are serious about wanting to purchase that house, which is usually 10 to 20%. Well God is serious.  He wants you in heaven to be with Him for eternity.  The price has been paid, Jesus‘s death on the cross. Our guarantee of this is the Holy Spirit living in the hearts of every believer.  There is much more waiting for us in heaven if this is the down payment for us here on earth.